The Kenya Rugby League Federation (KRLF) players are set to make their maiden appearance at a major international tournament later this year.
According to a press release on Wednesday evening, Kenya is set to replace Morocco in the 2022 Middle East Africa (MEA) championship scheduled to take place between September 27 and October 2 in Accra, Ghana.
In the press statement, KRLF chairperson Richard Adhere argued that the opportunity will help grow the league in the country.
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“It’s a great opportunity to assess the progress of Kenya Rugby League and will help motivate players in a high performance environment. This will definitely spur growth of rugby league in Kenya.
“It will also accord RL an opportunity to market and grow a brand that is still in its infancy,” stated Adhere.
Most Kenyans, particularly those who do not follow the game of rugby might not understand the difference between Rugby Union and League.
Below is the history of Rugby League and the key differences between the former and Rugby Union.
How Rugby League was formed.
Rugby League was formed by players who broke the Rugby Football Union (RFU) rules in the 1890s which forbade players from playing professional rugby.
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The rules which were written in 1871 were broken by a number of players in England who used to play the game to earn a living.
The move led to disagreements between rugby clubs and the RFU. As a result, the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU) was established to offer refuge to the rebel clubs which parted ways with RFU.
Over time these breakaway clubs developed their own style of play and thus the Rugby League was born.
Key differences between Rugby Union and League
Each team that takes part in Rugby League has 13 players while in Rugby Union teams field 15 players.
Moreover, in Rugby Union, teams are allowed to make a maximum of 8 substitutions during a match as opposed to 10 in the Rugby league.
Scoring a try is also different between the two. Both a drop goal and a penalty in Rugby Union earns a team three points.
On the other hand, a penalty earns a team two points while a drop goal is worth only one point in Rugby League.
Therefore, the Kenya 7s (Shujaa) and Kenya 15s (Simbas) will not be traveling to Accra, Ghana. An entirely different squad that is coached by former Kenyan international Edward Rombo is the team that will be representing the country in the championship.
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